The physical postures of yoga practices may protect against depressive symptoms,even as life stressors increase: a moderation analysis

Yoga contains sub-components related to its physical postures (asana), breathing methods (pranayama), and meditation (dhyana). To test the hypothesis that specific yoga practices are associated with reduced psychological distress, 186 adults completed questionnaires assessing life stressors, symptom severity, and experience with each of these aspects of yoga. Each yoga sub-component was found to be negatively correlated with psychological distress indices. However, differing patterns of relationship to psychological distress symptoms were found for each yoga sub-component. Experience with asana was negatively correlated with global psychological distress (r = ?.21, p < .01), and symptoms of anxiety (r = ?.18, p = .01) and depression (r = ?.17, p = .02). These relationships remained statistically significant after accounting for variance attributable to Social Readjustment Rating Scale scores (GSI: r = ?.19, p = .01; BSI Anxiety: r = ?.16, p = .04; BSI Depression: r = ?.14, p = .05). By contrast, the correlations between other yoga sub-components and symptom subscales became non-significant after accounting for exposure to life stressors. Moreover, stressful life events moderated the predictive relationship between amount of asana experience and depressive symptoms. Asana was not related to depressive symptoms at low levels of life stressors, but became associated at mean (t[182] = ?2.73, p < .01) and high levels (t[182] = ?3.56, p < .001). Findings suggest asana may possess depressive symptom reduction benefits, particularly as life stressors increase. Additional research is needed to differentiate whether asana has an effect on psychological distress, and to better understand potential psychophysiological mechanisms of action.     

Spiritual Intelligence Self-Assessment Inventory: Psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of SISRI-24

ABSTRACT

Spiritual intelligence has gained increasing importance as an academic construct in the field of psychology. We present the psychometric properties for the Portuguese adaptation of the Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory-24, SISRI-24. The exploratory analysis showed a factorial structure different from the original scale, comprising three factors instead of four as in the original version, in which “Transcendental Awareness” was removed. The confirmatory factorial analysis revealed adjustment to a three-factor model for the Portuguese version. The main indexes of adjustment are generally better than the original four-factor version, suggesting the adequacy of this solution for the Portuguese population. The analysis with the convergent measures (SWBQ and MPWQ) provides evidence of the construct’s validity and criterion. The results are promising, allowing us to proceed with the uses of this tool for measuring spiritual intelligence, which may, however, be improved in the future.     

Positive memory enhancement training for individuals with major depressive disorder

When in a negative mood state, individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) may have difficulties recalling positive autobiographical memories in a manner that repairs that negative mood. Using cognitive bias modification techniques, investigators have successfully altered different aspects of cognition among individuals with MDD. However, little has been done to investigate the modification of positive autobiographical memory recall. This study examined the impact of a novel positive memory enhancement training (PMET) on the memories and subjective affective experiences of individuals with MDD (N = 27). Across a series of trials, participants first recalled a sad memory to elicit a negative mood state. They then recalled a happy memory and completed procedures to elicit a vivid, here-and-now quality of the memory. PMET procedures were hypothesized to promote mood repair via the recall of increasingly vivid and specific positive memories. PMET participants demonstrated improved memory specificity and greater perceived ability to “relive” positive memories. The procedures also repaired mood; PMET participants’ affect following recall of positive memories did not differ from control participants’ affect following recall of neutral memories. Results provide preliminary support for PMET as a method to improve the quality of positive memories and facilitate emotion regulation in MDD.     

Cognitive reactivity as outcome and working mechanism of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for recurrently depressed patients in remission

Major depressive disorder is a prevalent condition with high relapse rates. There is evidence that cognitive reactivity is an important vulnerability factor for the recurrence of depression. Mindfulness-based interventions are designed to reduce relapse rates, with cognitive reactivity as one of the proposed working mechanisms. In a randomised controlled trial we compared the effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) with treatment-as-usual (TAU) on cognitive reactivity in recurrently depressed patients (N?=?115). Depressive symptoms, cognitive reactivity, and mindfulness skills were assessed pre and post treatment. Patients in the MBCT group reported a significantly greater reduction in cognitive reactivity than those in the TAU group (d?=?.51). The reduction of cognitive reactivity appeared to mediate the association between MBCT/TAU and decrease of depressive symptoms, using pre and post scores. The current study provides evidence that MBCT reduces cognitive reactivity and preliminary evidence that cognitive reactivity is a working mechanism of MBCT.     

抑郁症的脑功能异常:来自静息态功能磁共振成像的证据

静息态功能磁共振成像是指在静息状态下测量的BOLD信号,即受试者安静地躺在扫描仪中,不给受试者任何特定的任务,受试者也不用做任何反应,此时受试者的大脑活动处于自发状态。通过使用该技术可以为抑郁症发作的临床现象提供神经影像学依据,以期为将来抑郁症的治疗提供生物标记。因此,本文综述了大量抑郁症患者在静息态脑功能方面的差异研究,发现了单、双相抑郁症,首、复发抑郁症,早发性、晚发性抑郁症,难治、非难治性抑郁症等不同类型的抑郁症在包括局部一致性(Re Ho)和低频振幅(ALFF)在内的功能分化以及包括功能连接密度(FCD)、功能同伦(VMHC)、复杂网络(Complex Network)和ROI功能连接在内的功能整合两大指标的改变。     

Internalizing symptomatology and academic achievement: Bi-directional prospective relations in adolescence

Prior research has documented negative, concurrent relations between internalizing symptomatology and academic achievement among adolescents. The present study provided the first rigorous, longitudinal examination of the bi-directional, prospective relations between adolescent internalizing symptomatology and academic achievement. One hundred and thirty adolescents reported depression and anxiety annually from 6th through 10th grades, and GPA records were obtained annually from schools. Results showed that (a) high depression and anxiety at the beginning of a school year predicted lower GPA during that school year, and (b) low GPA in any school year predicted higher depression and anxiety at the beginning of the following school year. These findings underscore the tight link between adolescent internalizing symptomatology and academic achievement.     

Perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns interact to predict negative emotionality: Support for the tripartite model of perfectionism in Canadian and Chinese university students

For most individuals, perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns coexist to varying degrees. While there is agreement that within-person combinations of perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns produce meaningful “subtypes”, the number and characterization of these within-person combinations is still debated. The two most prominent person-centered perfectionism models (the tripartite model and the 2 × 2 model) offer differing characterizations of how perfectionistic strivings effects perfectionistic concerns’ relationship with psychological outcomes. According to the 2 × 2 model, perfectionistic strivings buffers against the negative effects of perfectionistic concerns. The 2 × 2 model thus claims the most deleterious within-person combination of perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns is low strivings and high concerns. In contrast, according to the tripartite model, perfectionistic strivings exacerbates the maladaptive effects of perfectionistic concerns. The tripartite model thus claims the most maladaptive within-person combination of perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns is high strivings and high concerns. The present study tested these competing claims in a group of English speaking Canadians and a group of Mandarin speaking Chinese. Results support the tripartite model of perfectionism.     

Validity of the German Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI‐G) in an Australian sample

Test anxiety (TA) is a prevalent issue among students that can result in deleterious consequences, such as underachievement. However, a contemporary measure that has been validated for use with Australian students seems to be lacking. This study, therefore, investigated the suitability of the German Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI‐G) for use with Australian university students. While the original TAI‐G contains 30 items and was designed to measure four factors (worry, emotionality, interference, and lack of confidence), differing factorial models have been supported in the literature using either the original or a shortened 17‐item version of the measure. These differing TAI‐G models were tested and compared in the current study via confirmatory factor analysis using 224 Australian university students. As expected, results supported the superior fit of the 17‐item four‐factor model. Additionally, the convergent validity of the measure was supported since measures of self‐esteem, self‐efficacy, and general anxiety were all found to correlate significantly with the TAI‐G in the hypothesised directions. Finally, the finding that all of the TAI‐G subscales had acceptably high reliabilities led to the conclusion that the 17‐item TAI‐G is a valid and reliable measure of TA in an Australian university population.     

Emotion Regulation in Youth with Emotional Disorders: Implications for a Unified Treatment Approach

Given the relationship between internalizing disorders and deficits in emotion regulation in youth, the emotion science literature has suggested several avenues for increasing the efficacy of interventions for youth presenting with anxiety and depression. These possibilities include the identification and addition of emotion-regulation skills to existing treatment packages and broadening the scope of those emotions addressed in cognitive-behavioral treatments. Current emotion-focused interventions designed to meet one or both of these goals are discussed, and the developmental influences relevant to the selection of emotion-focused treatment goals are explored using the framework of a modal model of emotion regulation. These various lines of evidence are woven together to support the utility of a novel emotion-focused, cognitive-behavioral intervention, the Unified Protocol for the Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Youth, a transdiagnostic treatment protocol that aims to treat the range of emotional disorders (i.e., anxiety and depression) simultaneously. Avenues for future directions in treatment outcome and assessment of emotion regulation are also discussed.     

Factor structure of the mobility inventory for agoraphobia: A validational study with australian samples of agoraphobic patients

This study examines the factor structure of the Mobility Inventory for Agoraphobia and attempts to validate the inventory, using an Australian sample of agoraphobic patients, by comparison with other scales. One hundred twentyfour panic disorder with agoraphobia patients were studied. Factor analysis showed that a two-factor solution was the most suitable both when subjects were accompanied (accompanied condition) and when alone (alone condition). Factor I represented public, crowded, or social situations including department stores, supermarkets, restaurants, theaters, and panics and social gatherings. Factor II reflected enclosed or riding situations such as elevators, parking garages, enclosed spaces, and riding in subways or airplanes. These two factors accounted for 46.6% and 44.3% of the variance on the accompanied condition and the alone condition, respectively. The Mobility Inventory was significantly correlated with the Agoraphobia factor of the Fear Questionnaire and the Social Avoidance and Distress scale. These results indicated that the Mobility Inventory is a valid instrument to measure agoraphobic behavior.